Writing a Powerful E-mail Press Release

By John Karnish
Posted Tuesday, October 12, 2004

Press Releases are a great source of publicity for your business and often attract more buyers than traditional, paid advertising. However a lot of people are confused when it comes to sending out publicity releases, so here are some things you should know.

You should always remember that the main objective is to seek publicity for your business. You never should send out a sales letter. That's not what a release is for and you'll never get published. Always target the person to whom you send your release. Sending out releases isn't a numbers game. The more targeted a contact is to your release, the more likely they will publish it.

Once you find a media source that would be interested in your publicity release, then you want to find which editor is the best for your purpose. Don't send it to a managing editor, you want to send it to a contact that is related to your release.

When you send a release, always personalize it. "Dear Editor's name,". Use their title, "Being the Sports Editor for..." Also use their field of interest if it's known. "Being the Sports Editor for the (New England Chronicle) and an avid soccer fan..."

There are two, general ways of sending out a press release by e-mail. Both have good and bad qualities. Some editors prefer that you send them a short e-mail, "briefly" describing your release and asking permission to send it. This will prevent an editor from asking to be removed, which would end any future contact with him.

The second way is to make absolutely sure he would be interested in your release and just send it out. The advantage of going this way is neither of you is wasting time by asking permission and granting it. It's up to you. I suggest you try and see how each one works for you and choose the better of the two. Whichever strategy you use always honor an editor's request to be "removed."

Try to keep you release short; e-mail releases are recommended to be only three paragraphs. Many editors will receive a hundred or more releases a day, so you have to get his attention in a very short amount of time.

Catch their attention in the first paragraph, the main focus of your release in the second and your contact information in the third.

You don't want to give your whole story in the press release, you want them to contact your for more information. The nice thing about the internet is that you can make this information directly available by using a webpage or an autoresponder.

List all of the information they'd be interested in. Think of some questions that an editor would probably ask you in an interview and provide the answers. Write down all of the specifics of your story. You might want to list your credentials or company history too. Whenever you list a contact number, always leave a number where you can be reached. Editors don't have a lot of time and they're not going to go out of their way to get in touch with you.

When thinking of ideas for a release, one good way of getting noticed is by tying yourself in with recent news stories. Another idea is just to make a bold claim, "that you can live up to." You'll find that lots of people will give you publicity, to try to prove you wrong. For example "New York stock broker say he can make anyone a millionaire." Just remember that you should be able to stand behind your claims.

Format of a Press Release

"FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE" should be written in top, left corner. If your information needs to be printed on or before a certain date, you would write something like: "FOR RELEASE AFTER MARCH 27" or "FOR RELEASE BEFORE CHRISTMAS." These would also go in the upper, left-hand corner.

Skip two lines and type "CONTACT:" Then list your contact information. Skip two lines and type your headline. Make sure your spend some time here because this is what will determine if your release gets read or shred. (=

The first paragraph begins with the dateline. Here's an example:
(New York, NY - October 9, 2000) - Then. skip a space after the dash and write your first sentence. The first paragraph of your release should be a few sentences that concisely summarize the content without much specific detail. Remember to answer the basic questions who, what, where, when, why and how. Pay special attention to the first paragraph because it's here that you have to convince the editor that your release is worth reading and printing. Be sure to make this clear. Why should her readers be interested? How will it affect their life? What are the benefits?

The second paragraph, you want to go into a little more detail and add some quotes. Remember to establish yourself as an expert. Don't say "Tom Jones says," say "Tom Jones, webmaster for Kidco.com and prominent author says..."

In the third paragraph, you want to persuade the editor to seek more information. You can have them visit your web site or a pre-made webpage, send a message to an autoresponder, call you etc. At the end of your press release, you want to skip a space and end with three, centered number signs. "###"

About the Author
John Karnish of the Internet Marketing Professional website. Visit his site for a QUICK And EASY Way To Build A Profitable Business On The Internet. Start Today! Visit: (http://internet-marketingpro.com)